Issue 6 - Is Ozempic 💊 the spice of our time?

Welcome to issue six! And have we got the fix for you! Brands and drugs, what do they have in common? Power? Impact? Euphoria? When they work.

We cultivate our salons so that they combine the best of brands and drugs. On the one hand we’re building our brand, and on the other hand we want you to get a buzz from the ideas, insights, and intelligence we generate in our events.

If you haven’t joined us for one of our salons, this is your opportunity to tune in, turn on, and be a punk. Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].

Speaking of punks, this week’s shoutout goes to Laurence Herrle-Fanning, the twin brother of last week’s recipient, Murlatron. Here’s a photo shoot that Laurence was featured in along with his bicycle:

It is not at all ironic that these two amazing human beings are our most active recruiters. They recognize that as punks, we grow stronger together, and they’re also helping to ensure our efforts are multi-generational! For more on our referral program, read to the end of this issue.

Upcoming Event

Oct 24th at 11am EDT - Living with Animals

Whether you are aware of it or not, we are all living with animals. These could be animals we consider part of our family (pets), or these could be animals we consider a nuisance or threat (pests).

Let’s take a moment to reflect on what it means to be living with animals. What are the benefits, what are the costs? How has our relationship with animals changed over the last few years? How might it change as a result of climate change?

From farms, to furry friends who sleep in our beds, let’s take a moment to not only reflect on the joy of living with animals, but also what that means for the industries supporting them. For example, did you know the pet food business is the fastest growing segment of agriculture and food production?

Join us! RSVP to [email protected]

Can public policy be anticipatory?

We had another fantastic salon earlier this week that looked at the intersection of AI, influencers, and the future of public relations. As with all of our salons the conversation went into unexpected and fascinating territory, as evidenced by this clip from the brilliant punk Vass Bednar, who writes the Regs2Riches newsletter which you should subscribe to if you don’t already.

Let’s talk about branding!

A post from our resident brand expert Dr Jens Tathoff

Back in the day, communication seemed simple. The media world was relatively small, as it consisted of TV, print, radio, outdoor ads, and some point of sale promotions.

To play this media game you had to spend most of your time defining your brand and fine tuning the brand's image and the brand's core messages: distinctive, different, and relevant. And because traditional media campaigns easily cost millions of dollars, you had to think twice before launching a campaign.

Fast forward to today: communication seems even easier. Yet what are we losing as a result of ease of use and convenience?

Everybody is able to text, take a mobile pic and before you know it, the new campaign is ready. As a result, many companies don't make the effort to talk about brands anymore. Digital communication is quite often delegated to entry level employees: "they are young, savvy, and know how to do a post!"

• The process: let's talk about the product, features and... done!

• The result: With mainly product-oriented digital communication you compete in a crowded market on the same performance-led level. Buy now, click here.

• The problem: with this kind of communication you are only talking to the 5% of consumers which are ready to buy. But what about the other 95% who are not ready to buy, but may be in the future? This target group can only be reached with brand communication.

This is why it is important to not focus on short-term success only - instead start talking brand (again) and create a solid future demand!

Want to write a post for our gazette? Email [email protected]

Ozempic - the Spice of our time?

We are admittedly a little late to the Ozempic hype. Perhaps because we worry less about body shape and more about eating well. Initial reports about Ozempic and its effects couldn’t be more enthusiastic. Largely due to their hyperbole, and the sense that they’re delusional if not preposterous. Here are just a few, and these are not the most outrageous soundbites:

• Ozempic is suitable to single-handedly cure the obesity pandemic

• Walmart is already registering a decline in grocery sales

• United Airlines is expecting to save hundreds of millions in fuel each year due to reduced passenger weight

• McDonalds is going to face revenue decline due to reduced fast food consumption

• The number of knee replacement surgeries will significantly decline due to reduced wear and tear in the knee joints of our society due to lower weight

The food industry is apparently already huddling and convoluting, hatching plans for some lobbyist counter attacks. And there are many more additional, significantly much more outrageous claims but it feels irresponsible to repeat here. Because while we don’t know everything, we know this much:

If something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t.

and

There is no free lunch - everything has its price and the body keeps score.

Remember Prozac? History tends to repeat itself, especially when short cuts are taken.

We don’t believe in hacks or magic pills, but rather pursue substance and carefully thought out action. We may be completely wrong in our hesitance to chime into the headless gospel that glorifies a drug as the silver bullet for and against everything. For the coming weeks and months, we will keep a close eye and ear on the debate and continue to listen in awe, wonder and disbelief.

If you can bare it, read or listen to this piece of Ozempic gospel and glorification, and brace yourself for more of the same in the coming weeks and months:

Always remember the players in the eco system, and make no mistake: you are the object, not the subject.

Psychedelic Renaissance

In contrast to the rise of Ozempic, Eco Punk Anna Melnikoff wrote to us noting that psychedelic drugs and medicine are advancing rapidly, fueled by "legit research, standards, and safety” and have significant potential for harm reduction and mental health benefits.

In Canada psilocybin a/k/a magic mushrooms are slowly but surely being decriminalized and over the long term legalized, which is helping to foster an industry supported by professionals. Certification programs for Psychedelic Assisted Healing Integration Coaching & Facilitation are available, and Anna noted that one she’s enrolled in focuses on “integrating Indigenous Plant Medicine wisdom and practices, and the decolonization of those practices, as well as their in-depth approach to ethics.” Anna also notes that they “have an excellent and diverse faculty of instructors, representing several indigenous traditions as well as more traditionally Western approaches to drug interactions and psychopharmacology, the neuroscience of psychedelics, and the science of micro dosing.”

Notable Punk - Paul Stamets

To learn more about psilocybin, check out the work of mycologist Paul Stamets, and in particular his talk from SXSW this April:

And for any Star Trek Discovery fans out there, the Paul Stamets character played by Anthony Rapp is indeed inspired by the mycologist above. Travelling across space and time using mushrooms!?

Thanks for reading this far, but don’t be selfish, help us spread the word! Bring your colleagues and frenemies into our ecosystem.

Elena, Rick, Lisa, all three of you are actively reading our issues, please help us spread the word! You will be rewarded. 😎😎

Music to Move You